Ink level chip resetters (Epson printers)

All recent model Epson printers use 'chipped' ink cartridges. A small IC chip is fitted to each ink cartridge and it collects and stores ink level information for that cartridge.

Epson ink chip

Empty cartridge (ink) chip triggers an error message via the Epson Status Monitor (similar to below) and the printer then refuses to print, or do anything else, until the empty ink cartridge is replaced - with a new one. This may be a handy feature, if you buy new Epson cartridges all the time, but not so handy, if you want to refill the cartridges.

To refill ANY late model Epson printer, you need some method of resetting the ink chips. Without it, you are wasting your time refilling Epson cartridges. The printer will not accept them anyway. Even refilling well before a cartridge registers empty doesn't solve the problem. Epson printers don't check the actual ink levels...all ink level data comes from the ink chips.

Depending on the model of your Epson printer, you can either buy a chip re-setter (further down this page) to reset the cartridges you have, or get a set of refillable cartridges with auto-resetting chips instead. And because most late model Epson cartridges are too complicated to refill anyway, refillable cartridges are generally a better option. Find refillable cartridges for your Epson printer model and more info here.

Note: If your printer model is not listed in above table, another option for your printer might be "auto-reset" chips. Find refillable cartridges for your Epson model and more info here.

How to reset Epson chips ...

Resetting Epson chips is easy and it only takes few seconds to reset an "empty" chip - back to full. Simply align the resetter pins with the gold contacts of the chip and press the two together for about 5 seconds. There is a LED on the resetter, which starts off flashing red and turns green when the reset is completed. That's it!

Epson chip resetter

More Epson chip resetter info...

There are three small battery cells (replaceable) inside each Epson chip resetter that should last for hundreds of resets. The devices are well designed and reliable. Depending on the resetter model, one or two adapters are included, to enable resetting of different cartridges/chips. 12 months replacement warranty

Tip: Take care not to get the pins wet, as this can cause corrosion and resetter damage. Also...do not move the resetter while reset is in progress, it must stay in contact with chip until the LED turns green.

Another way to reset ink levels of some older Epson cartridges is with software from SSC. You can download it for free from: http://www.ssclg.com/epsone.shtml. You can also use it to reset printer maintenance errors, get a display of accurate ink levels, ...and a whole lot more. It's available for many Epson printers, but no recent models.

Older Epson printers - without chips...

Older Epson printers (pre chips) reset automatically, every time a cartridge is replaced. Even if you fit an empty cartridge, it will show full in the Epson Status monitor - without having to do anything else. No chips, nothing to reset...no hassles.